One of the peregrine falcon chicks which hatched from a clutch of four eggs laid in a nesting box on top of one of Sussex's most exclusive venues has died.

Three peregrine falcon chicks hatched in the box perched 334ft up at the top of Sussex Heights apartment block, which has one of the most sought-after views of the seafront in Brighton.

The birds arrived at the site in the spring of 1998. In 2002 they moved to the West Pier in Brighton but have returned annually to the block to raise their offspring.

This year, the pair laid four eggs on March 24, the first of which began to hatch on May 4.

Three of the eggs had hatched by Friday but the following day one of the chicks appeared to have died.

The fourth egg has not yet hatched.

The falcon diary for 2005, which is being kept on the regencybrighton web site states: "As you may be aware from our coverage in previous years the mortality rates are high for chicks but to find one has died just a few days after hatching is heartbreaking.

"The other two chicks look quite perky and there is still an unhatched egg."

The peregrine diary 2005 can be found at www.regencybrighton.com/birds/